London Airports: Smoking

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times evacuations of  (a) the concourses,  (b) the security and passports areas and  (c) the airside areas of (i) Heathrow, (ii) Gatwick and (iii) Stansted airports have occurred following an alarm being triggered by a passenger smoking in a toilet in the last 12 moths; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: We have been advised by BAA that they are unable to provide detailed information on how many evacuations have been carried out over the last 12 months due to a fire alarm being triggered without detailed analysis. As this is an operational matter for BAA, I suggest the hon. Member directs his inquiry to the chief executive of BAA.

Piracy: Gulf of Aden

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to counter the incidence of piracy on the high seas, with particular reference to the Gulf of Aden;
	(2)  how many British seafarers are being held hostage as a consequence of piracy incidents on the high seas; and what steps he is taking to secure their release.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport is not aware of any British seafarers being held hostage as a consequence of piracy incidents. The Government are acutely aware of the dangers being faced by seafarers on board ships transiting the Gulf of Aden and abhor the loss of life incurred to date.
	The UK are supportive of the IMO's efforts which calls for states interested in the safety and security of maritime activities, to take part actively in the fight against piracy and armed robbery against ships off the coast of Somalia.
	The Department has issued advice to seafarers on the measures that can be taken to prevent acts of piracy and armed robbery in Marine Guidance Note 298. We have also urged Masters to obtain up to date information about pirate attacks in order to plan their passage through the Gulf of Aden. This advice can be obtained from the Royal Navy's UK Maritime Trade Operation based in Dubai. The shipping industry has also been informed of the Maritime Security Patrol Area (MPSA) established by the Combined Maritime Forces. The MPSA does not eliminate the risk of criminal activity and shipping has been warned to exercise extreme caution and vigilance.
	Piracy is an international problem that requires an international solution. The Government are playing their full part by pressing for effective international action to address the issue by tackling the problem at its roots on land. The Government are very concerned by increasing numbers of piracy and armed robbery attacks in and around Somali waters and we have noted the expressed concerns from industry. We are working proactively with our EU, NATO and Coalition Task Force 150 partners to counter the menace.

Rapid Transit Systems

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made towards the target of creating 25 new rapid transit lines in major cities and conurbations by 2010 as stated in his Department's Transport 10 Year Plan of 2000; how many new rapid transit lines were created in each year since 2000; and by what percentage light rail passenger journeys have increased since 2000.

Paul Clark: The Ten Year Plan published in July 2000 set out indicative figures for the number of light rail schemes that might be delivered by 2010. This was neither a target nor a commitment for the Government.
	The following light rail lines have been opened since 2000;
	
		
			   Name of scheme  Number of new lines 
			 2000 Croydon Tramlink 3 
			 2000 Manchester Metrolink -Eccles extension 1 
			 2002 Tyne and Wear Metro -Sunderland extension 1 
			 2004 Nottingham Express Transit 1 
			 2005 Docklands Light Railway - London City Airport extension 1 
		
	
	The following schemes are in preparation;
	
		
			  Name of scheme  Stage reached  Number of new lines 
			 Docklands Light Railway -Extension to Woolwich Arsenal Under construction, due to be completed in 2009. 1 
			 Manchester Metrolink -Extensions to Rochdale, Oldham, Chorlton and Droylsden Under construction, project due to be completed in 2012. 4 
			 Nottingham Express Transit -Extensions to Clifton and Chilwell Granted Programme Entry. If Full Approval is granted the lines could be completed by 2013. 2 
			 Manchester Metrolink -Extensions to Ashton, East Didbsury and Manchester Airport Granted Programme Entry as part of Greater Manchester's Transport Innovation Fund bid. 3 
			 Manchester Metrolink -Extensions to Trafford, Oldham town centre, Rochdale town centre, and Second city crossing scheme Schemes which currently have no approval status that Greater Manchester are also progressing as part of their Transport Innovation Fund bid. 4 
		
	
	Light rail passenger journeys in England have increased by 90 per cent. between 1999-2000 and 2007-08 from 98 million to 186 million passenger journeys.

Road Traffic: Essex

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the oral answer to the hon. Member for Chelmsford on 21 October 2008,  Official Report, column 155, on traffic congestion, which  (a) causes of and  (b) locations prone to road accidents and collisions on the A12 in Essex will be prioritised for road safety improvement funding; and what funding he plans to make available for such improvements in the next three years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Personal injury accidents on the motorway and trunk road network are monitored on a continuous basis by the Highways Agency and reported in its annual safety report. Accidents are reviewed on a route basis, and locations with disproportionately more accidents are prioritised for remedial action.
	With regards to the A12 in Essex, in the period 2008-09 to 2011-12, the Highways Agency is intending to spend up to around £22 million on major maintenance improvements at Kelvedon and Witham and £2.5 million on an auxiliary lane southbound between Hatfield Peverel and Witham. All of these significant interventions ill have some beneficial impact on safety, and other minor safety works are also planned. This work will be subject to availability of funding and prioritisation against other works on the strategic road network within the Eastern region.

Housing Benefit

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effects on vulnerable people of direct payments of housing benefit.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 3 November 2008
	Two of the intended effects of the local housing allowance are to promote financial independence and personal responsibility. Therefore payments are normally made direct to tenants so they have personal responsibility for paying their rent. However, we recognise that there will always be a small proportion of tenants who will struggle with this, so there are circumstances in which the local authority has the power to pay benefit direct to the landlord.
	These are if the local authority either considers that the tenant is likely to have difficulty in relation to the management of their own affairs; for example, the tenant is known to have a learning disorder or a drug/alcohol problem that would mean they are likely to have difficulty handling a budget: or considers it improbable that the tenant will pay their rent; for example, the local authority is aware that the tenant has consistently failed to pay the rent on past occasions without good reason.
	Additionally, in housing benefit generally, payment direct to the landlord is a statutory requirement if a tenant has built up rent arrears of eight weeks or more, or is having deductions from their income support or jobseeker's allowance to pay off rent arrears. If this occurs, the local authority has the discretion to continue paying direct to the landlord when the level of arrears drops to below eight weeks.
	We plan to review the LHA, which was rolled out nationally from April 2008, during the first two years of operation.

Social Security Benefits: Industrial Disputes

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what contingency plans he is considering to ensure the efficient and effective operation of benefit payments for the duration of planned industrial action by civil service unions;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect on his Department's published performance targets of planned industrial action by civil service unions; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the effect on pension and benefit recipients of planned industrial action by civil service unions;
	(4)  what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department's budget of planned industrial action by civil service unions; and what adjustments will be necessary to ensure that his Department's budgets balance.

Tony McNulty: Our contingency plans, which are flexible and proven, include prioritising our resources to ensure that our top priority—to make payments to our customers—is maintained throughout any strike action by staff. We will also maintain access to our services by telephone and wherever possible face to face.
	98 per cent. of DWP customers receive automated payments. Customers, including pensioners, job seekers, benefit claimants and those who rely on child maintenance payments will continue to receive the payments on which they depend.
	The flexible nature of our business delivery and our business continuity planning will enable us to minimise the impact of industrial action on published performance targets.
	Short-term periods of industrial action do not have any significant impact on the Department's budget.

Winter Fuel Payments

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 29 September 2008,  Official Report, column 2402W, on winter fuel payments, what estimate he has made of the value of the winter fuel payment in 2008-09 for a 60 to 79 year-old, expressed as a percentage of the average annual energy and gas bill.

Rosie Winterton: Actual expenditure data on the average annual energy and gas bill for 2008-09 is not available. However, based on fuel price changes to September 2008 it is estimated that the winter fuel payment of £200 plus the additional payment of £50 for 2008-09 would make up around 20 per cent. of the average annual energy and gas bill.
	 Notes:
	1. Household energy expenditure on energy is taken from the 2006 Family Spending Survey for 65-74 year olds, uprated by changes in the price of fuel and light to September 2008
	2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 5 per cent.

Winter Fuel Payments: Hillingdon

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how much he expects to pay to pensioner households in  (a) the London Borough of Hillingdon and  (b) Uxbridge constituency in winter fuel payments in 2008-09;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of households in  (a) the London Borough of Hillingdon and  (b) Uxbridge constituency which will receive the (i) £250 and (ii) £400 winter fuel payment in 2008-09.

Rosie Winterton: Expenditure in 2006-07 on winter fuel payments in  (a) the London borough of Hillingdon was £7.3 million and in  (b) the Uxbridge constituency was £2.4 million. Forecasts of benefit expenditure are not produced below national level.
	It is not possible to derive a forecast for 2008-09 using 2006-07 outturn data because the benefit rates for winter fuel payments have changed for 2008-09 and because adequate caseload data is not available.
	 Notes
	1. Expenditure figures have been rounded to the nearest £100,000.
	2. Parliamentary constituencies and local authorities are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
	3. Please note that a small number of these households receive amounts higher than the usual rate for their age group, where the household includes more than two individuals each entitled to payments at half of the usual household rate.
	 Source
	Information directorate 100 per cent. data
	Figures for winter 2007-08 are not yet available. The number of households that received the £200 and £300 winter fuel payment in winter 2006-07 are shown in the following table. We expect similar numbers to receive the £250 and £400 respectively in winter 2008-09.
	
		
			  Number of households  £ 
			  London borough of Hillingdon  
			 24,050 200 
			 7,840 300 
			   
			  Uxbridge constituency  
			 7,750 200 
			 2,500 300 
			  Notes: 1. Figures rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Parliamentary constituencies and local authorities are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory. 3. Please note that a small number of these households receive amounts higher than the usual rate for their age group, where the household includes more than two individuals each entitled to payments at half of the usual household rate.  Source: Information directorate 100 per cent. data

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made on the implementation of the Action Plan on Peace, Reconciliation and Justice in Afghanistan; and what assistance the UK has given to civil society organisations in the country in support of that implementation since 2002.

Bill Rammell: The UK has given the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) £500,000 to support its three-year action plan for 2006-2008, which includes the implementation of the peace, reconciliation and justice action plan. Our support helps the AIHRC to collect and record evidence of past human rights abuses, raise awareness about transitional justice and lobby the Afghan Government for action. In 2007, the AIHRC's Transitional Justice Unit documented 86 mass graves related to past human rights abuses; such information will contribute to any future progress on transitional justice.

Afghanistan: Politics and Government

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government plans to take to help address corruption in public life in Afghanistan.

Bill Rammell: We continue to press President Karzai to take action against corrupt public officials and look forward to working with the new Minister of the Interior, Hanif Atmar, to tackle corruption in the Rule of Law sector, in particular policing. The Department for International Development has supported work to identity and address the areas of the Government of Afghanistan that are most vulnerable to corruption.
	The Department for International Development is working closely with the World Bank to put in place more robust public financial management systems across the Government, and is engaged with other international partners to identify support requirements for the Government's new anti-corruption body. In addition, the UK is providing anti-corruption specialists to strengthen Afghan law enforcement and justice institutions with a focus on the prosecution of counter-narcotics and corruption-related cases.

Bangladesh: Politics and Government

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the caretaker government of Bangladesh about lifting the state of emergency before the commencement of the campaign period for the elections in December.

Bill Rammell: When my noble Friend, the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, Lord Malloch-Brown, visited Bangladesh in October, he reiterated to the Caretaker Government, the main political parties, civil society and the media the UK's support for fair and credible elections. He made clear that the lifting of the state of emergency would be a major step towards this goal.

Belarus: Children

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government is taking to make representations to the Belarus authorities to allow the resumption of exchange programmes of Belarus children from the Chernobyl area.

Caroline Flint: Our ambassador to Belarus has been in close contact with the authorities in Minsk in recent weeks, raising our concerns about their decision to suspend these programmes. UK arrangements have worked well, with a high standard of care and safe return of the children to their guardians. We hope to find an amicable solution of the issue to allow the resumption of these programmes.

Belarus: Children

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the UK Government supports the presumption of the exchange programmes of Belarus children from the area north of Chernobyl; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Government fully support the resumption of charitable programmes bringing children from Chernobyl affected areas to western countries for short respite holidays. The British ambassador to Belarus has been in close contact with the authorities in Minsk, raising our concerns following their recent suspension of the programme. UK arrangements worked well, with a high standard of care and safe return of the children to their guardians. We hope to be able to find an amicable resolution of the issue to allow these visits to resume quickly.

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region: Elections

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Chinese counterpart on elections in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has regular contact with his Chinese counterpart to discuss a whole range of issues, including Hong Kong. He pays close attention to Hong Kong, and comments on developments in the Six-Monthly Report. A particular focus is on Hong Kong's progress towards universal suffrage. On 29 December 2007 the Foreign Secretary released the following comments on Hong Kong's elections:
	"Today's announcement by the National People's Congress that there will not be universal suffrage in the 2012 Hong Kong elections will be a disappointment for all those who want to see Hong Kong move to full democracy as soon as possible."
	"As the Hong Kong SAR Government has itself recognised, this includes the majority of Hong Kong's own people who have clearly said that they wish to elect the Chief Executive by universal suffrage in 2012."
	"I remain of the view that both China and Hong Kong's interests will be best served by allowing Hong Kong to move to full democracy as soon as possible. The National People's Congress' statement clearly points towards universal suffrage for the Chief Executive election in 2017 and the legislative council thereafter. I hope that all parties concerned can engage in meaningful dialogue to allow this, and that the Hong Kong authorities will now put forward constructive proposals making progress in 2012 to achieve this goal."

India: Christianity

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the current security situation for Christians in the state of Orissa, India;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with the Indian government and the Indian Ambassador to the Court of St James on reports of extreme violence towards Christians in India in recent months;
	(3)  what reports he has received of the security situation for Christians in the state of Karnataka, India;
	(4)  what steps the Government is taking to promote the safety of Christians in India from violence, and fear of violence;
	(5)  what reports he has received of the security situation for Christians in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India.

Bill Rammell: We have received reports of around 40 deaths, 3,000 homes burnt and 27,000 people homeless following the recent violence against Christians in Orissa. Christian missionaries and church buildings have also been attacked in Karnataka, and there have been at least 35 major incidents against the Christian community in Madhya Pradesh this year, too. We believe that there are a variety of factors behind the recent violence in Orissa. The British high commission in New Delhi continues to monitor the situation closely.
	We welcome the Indian Prime Minister's unequivocal statements condemning the attacks, most recently on 13 October. We have expressed our concerns directly with the Indian Government and their representatives. On 1 October, my noble Friend the Minister of State for Africa, Asia and the UN, Lord Malloch-Brown, raised the matter with the Indian high commissioner in London. On 17 October, he also discussed our concerns with Anand Sharma, Indian Minister of External Affairs, and Mohammed Quereshi, Chairman of the Minorities Commission in New Delhi. The issue of religious freedom is due to be raised at the EU-India Human Rights Dialogue in New Delhi later this year.

Renewable Energy

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on the European Union's targets for renewable energy usage; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The EU's climate change and energy package is an example of EU global leadership on climate change. Agreement on the package, later this year, will underline that the EU is on a fast track to a low carbon economy. A key part of this is the target the EU has set itself of deriving 20 per cent. of its energy needs from renewables.
	The climate and energy package, including the renewables element, has been the subject of several recent discussions in the NSID-EU Cabinet Committee, which my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary chairs, and at which the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) is represented. BERR's recent consultation on the UK's renewable energy strategy sets out plans for driving up the use of renewable energy in the UK, to enable us to meet our share of the EU target. It will help shape the UK's renewable energy strategy, which will be published next spring, once the UK's share of the target is agreed.
	The lead for the EU's 2020 package was previously shared between BERR and the Department for Farming and Rural Affairs. Following recent structural changes, that lead now falls to the Department for Energy and Climate Change.

Russia: South Ossetia

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he plans to make to the Russian Government on their refusal to allow the EU ceasefire monitors into South Ossetia and Abkhazia; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I, along with senior officials, are in regular contact on this issue with our partners in the EU, UN and Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The Government continue to press the Russian Government, through these organisations, to allow both the OSCE monitors and the EU monitoring mission access into South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
	The head of the OSCE mission visited Moscow on 22 October and met with the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister to discuss access to the disputed territories. France currently holds the EU presidency and on 22 October the French Foreign Minister, Bernard Kouchner, called on the Russians to grant European observers in Georgia access to the disputed areas.

Uzbekistan

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the government of Uzbekistan on establishing an independent inquiry into the events in Andijan in May 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The UK has proposed on numerous occasions, both bilaterally and with EU partners, to the government of Uzbekistan that they establish an independent inquiry into the events in Andijan in May 2005. Most recently, Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials raised this issue with the Uzbek government during a visit to Tashkent in May 2008.
	The EU has held two rounds of EU-Uzbekistan experts' meetings on the Andijan events, where the Uzbek side has maintained that these events were a foreign-led conspiracy to exploit religious "extremists" and terrorism in order to effect a "coloured revolution". The Uzbek authorities have consistently rejected calls for an independent, international enquiry.

Uzbekistan: Human Rights

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Uzbekistan on the detention of journalists Salijon Abdurahmanov and Yusuf Juma; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Officials from our embassy in Tashkent have met Salijon Abdurahmanov and Yusuf Juma on a number of occasions. We are deeply concerned by their arrests and are following their situation closely. Both cases were raised at the EU-Uzbekistan Human Rights Dialogue on 5 June 2008.
	Together with our EU partners, we continue to urge the Uzbek authorities to implement fully their international Human Rights obligations.

Departmental Lost Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what  (a) equipment and  (b) data was lost by her Office in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: No equipment was lost by my office in the last 12 months.
	My office, in accordance with Cabinet Office guidance, did not report any personal data related incidents for the period 2007-08.

Olympic Games 2012: Consultants

Don Foster: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what consultancy contracts have been issued in relation to the 2012 Olympics in each year since 2004; and what the  (a) value of contract,  (b) purpose of contract and  (c) contractor was in each case.

Tessa Jowell: The following tables show information on consultancy contracts issued by the Government Olympic Executive (GOE), the now disbanded Olympic Programme Support Unit (OPSU) and the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), in relation to the 2012 Olympics in each financial year since 2004.
	These costs reflect the process of preparing the bid, establishing and building up the requisite high level commercial and financial capacity in these organisations, while ensuring that key delivery milestones are and continue to be, achieved across the programme. For example, this expert advice has helped us to:
	Undertake detailed work to deliver the funding package for the Games just 21 months from bid win, well ahead of any other Games;
	Begin construction on the Olympic Stadium over 2 months ahead of schedule.
	 Government Olympic Executive (GOE)
	The GOE information on consultancy contracts gives the value of contracts issued as at August 2008.
	
		
			  Contracts issued  2004-05 to 2008-09 
			  Supplier  Task  Value (£) including VAT 
			  2004-05   
			 Partnerships UK Bid preparation 33,000 
			 Partnerships UK Legacy Proposals 21,131 
			 PWC Bid preparation 182,000 
			
			  2005-06   
			 Accenture Preparation, facilitation for, and write up of Cross-departmental workshop 29,328 
			 Central Office of Information Advertising for Chief Executive 60,609 
			 Hays Assessment of the terms and conditions of the ODA Chief Executive 10,340 
			 KPMG Post bid-win Olympics Cost Review 1,190,000 
			 Odgers, Ray and Berndtson Recruitment 25,876 
			 Rockpools Recruitment 72,850 
			
			  2006-07   
			 Judith Riley Ltd. Workshop facilitation 6,627 
			 CABE Feasibility Study for Architecture and Built Environment Centre in Park 20,000 
			 PWC 5 Boroughs Deprivation Study 23,289 
			 Stanton Marris Change management of GOE 16,616 
			
			  2007-08   
			 20:20 Delivery Governance and delivery planning 75,460 
			 PWC Development of the Evaluation Framework 73,320 
			 Deloitte Review of the Olympic Programme Support Unit (OPSU) (Part 2) and provision of advice on the transfer of OPSU functions to GOE 187,801 
			 Giles Emerson Contribution to the Legacy Promises Document 4,418 
			 TFG International Provision of Best Practice advice from the Sydney Olympic and Paralympic Games 44,146 
			 Sarah Hunter Scoping of Community Engagement Project 800 
			 Odgers, Ray and Berndtson Recruitment 179,126 
			 Central Office of Information Organisation of "Ask the Team" events 70,113 
			 Central Office of Information Olympics Legacy Research 121,409 
			
			  2008-09   
			 Deloitte Facilitation of GOE workshop 3,402 
			 Sports Recruitment International Recruitment 34,158 
			 Stanton Marris Facilitation of GOE workshop 7,270 
			 Decision Analysis Services Implementation of NAO recommendations on Olympic programme risk management 9,183 
		
	
	 Olympic Programme Support Unit (OPSU)—disbanded in September 2007, after which functions were absorbed into GOE
	
		
			  Contracts issued  2005-06 to 2007-08 
			  Supplier  Task  Value (£) including VAT 
			  2005-06   
			 Accenture Establishment, and interim operation of OPSU 881,937 
			
			  2006-07   
			 Ann Kennedy Staff training 2,700 
			 Moorhouse Consulting Ltd Staff training 2,600 
			 PTP Associates Staff training 9,043 
			 PWC Development of Olympic Sustainability Strategy 94,000 
			
			  2007-08   
			 Deloitte Review of OPSU (Part 1) 31,107 
			 Forum for the Future Staff training 16,770 
			 Turner and Townsend Programme Management Support 87,859 
		
	
	 Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA)
	In my previous answer to the hon. Member for Faversham and Mid-Kent (Hugh Robertson) on 16 October 2007,  Official Report, column 977W, I stated that the ODA had spent some £50 million on consultancy as at 9 July 2007. However, the ODA have since advised me that the information they provided for that answer included the cost of contracts and or elements of contracts that were not strictly consultancy services and therefore should not have been included in the figures provided in my reply. The amended figures for the periods are as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2006-07 13,676,095.21 
			 2007-08 (up to 9 July) 1,155,508.00 
		
	
	For accuracy, the non-consultancy elements, that should not have been included in the figures provided in my reply, have been taken out of the information provided in the following table.
	The following table provides information on ODA consultancy spend to July 2008, not the value of contracts. I am unable to give details of the total value of the ODA consultancy contracts at this stage, as this could compromise the ODA's commercial negotiating position and lead to an increase in cost.
	
		
			  Contracts issued  2005-06 to 2007-08 
			  Supplier  Task  V alue of ODA consultancy spend  as at July 2008 (£) 
			  2005-06   
			 Aon Limited Operational services—pension advisory services 5,048,182 
			 EC Harris LLP Transport advice 1,532,728 
			 Ernst and Young LLP Provision of financial advisory services and interim staff to the ODA, prior to the recruitment of permanent ODA finance staff 8,344,509 
			 John Rowan and Partners LLP Procurement advice 122,414 
			 OGC Procurement advice 379,296 
			 Rockpools Recruitment 5,257,036 
			
			  2006-07   
			 Augmentis Integrated Services Limited Procurement policy and development of operating procedures 174,036 
			 Bentley Systems IT/software 43,398 
			 Bravo Solution UK Ltd e-sourcing services 1,587,324 
			 Business Systems Group Limited IT goods and services (data network and telephony) 193,141 
			 Capgemini UK PLC Project management support 676,941 
			 Cedar Open Accounts Limited Finance open accounts system 2,115 
			 COA Solutions Ltd Annual maintenance and access licensing for Cedar Open Accounts 84,770 
			 Computer People IT services 263,548 
			 Cornwell Management Consultants plc Data and records management services 31,548 
			 Elstree Computing Limited Quality Management Services (Transport) 97,579 
			 ES Group Ltd Event support 3,525 
			 Eminence Grise Consultancy Organisational services 34,639 
			 Eurodata Systems plc IT goods and services 808,279 
			 Future Inclusion Limited Transport: Access Audit—Olympic Transport Plan 3,525 
			 Hedra plc Procurement advice 2,630,542 
			 Intelligent Risk Pty Ltd Security advice 233,092 
			 Jago Consultancy Transport consultancy 37,021 
			 Jobs Go Public Limited Recruitment 66,423 
			 John Donoghue Associates Industrial Relations consultancy. 5,805 
			 KPMGG LLP Financial advice 1,581,764 
			 Matura Limited Health, safety and environmental advice 11,586 
			 Norman Broadbent Equalities and diversity 505,298 
			 Norwich Union Financial advice 62,698 
			 Pan-Leisure Consulting Limited Velopark advice 52,581 
			 Parsons Brinckerhoff Ltd Sustainability advice 365,309 
			 Longwood Associates Ltd Industrial relations 38,682 
			 Pringle Brandon LLP Office configuration 12,288 
			 Quo Imus Ltd Transport advice 1,125,614 
			 Rullion Computer Personnel Ltd IT provision 276,642 
			 SpencerMayes Office configuration of Planning Decision Teams' office 3,576 
			 Steer Davies Gleave Transport advice 955,414 
			 Turner & Townsend Ltd Procurement advice 2,013,870 
			 Welcom Software Technology International Total IT consultancy 37,001 
			
			  2007-08   
			 WS Atkins Engineering, design, and infrastructure consultancy 13,583 
			 Ove Arup and Partners Limited Design, transport, and infrastructure consultancy 377,253 
			 Backhouse Jones Solicitors Legal advice 2,703 
			 Bond International Software (UK) Ltd IT/software 22,055 
			 Booz Allen Hamilton Ltd Transport security advice 41,125 
			 Capita Symonds Project management support 107,518 
			 Davis Langdon LLP Project Management support 4,175 
			 Faber Maunsell Ltd Transport advice 16,330 
			 Fujitsu Services Limited Back office systems and services 4,051,344 
			 Grant Thornton UK LLP Financial advice 261,244 
			 Jane Cowmeadow Communications and Management Event support 5,922 
			 Ottaway Strategic Management Ltd Equalities and diversity evaluation 15,975 
			 Segens Solicitors Legal advice 2,650 
			 T-Three Consulting Ltd Human resources 18,140 
			 Deltek UK Ltd On-site consultancy services 23,232

Police Service of Northern Ireland: Homosexuality

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of whether institutionalised homophobia exists within the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: The PSNI Equality and diversity unit is responsible for monitoring incidences of recorded bullying and harassment on the grounds of homophobic behaviour. From 1 January 2005 to 22 October 2008 there have been four cases raised by three individuals.
	The PSNI does not believe that there is any evidence to support a view that it is institutionally homophobic.

Armed Forces: Coroners

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in what circumstances his officials may decide the conclusions of a Board of Inquiry into a fatal incident are unsafe; what steps he is required to take to inform the coroner before or after an inquest has been held; by what procedures he may instruct the president of a board of inquiry to consider new evidence; and by what procedures a bereaved family may challenge the findings or recommendations of a board of inquiry.

Bob Ainsworth: Each Board of Inquiry's (BOI) provisional report is submitted to the relevant convening/reviewing authority for approval before the report is declared final. In considering the provisional report, the convening/reviewing authority may require the Board to undertake further work because fresh evidence has come to light, because some evidence available to the BOI has been omitted, or because some relevant aspect has not been covered adequately and therefore the BOI has not met its terms of reference. Following completion of further work a revised provisional report must be submitted to the convening/reviewing authority for further consideration. This process may be undertaken as often as necessary to ensure the BOI has met its terms of reference. Where further work is required, the convening/reviewing authority should give specific instructions in writing to the BOI. Where it is considered that the BOI has met its terms of reference and no further work is required, the convening/reviewing authority makes its comments on the report and declares the provisional report as the final report and it notifies the president of the BOI that the inquiry has concluded and that the Board is released from its duty. A copy of the final report is then made available to both the coroner and the next of kin if they wish to receive it.
	Some coroners await the completion of the BOI report before they hold the inquest, although there is no requirement for any coroner to do so and, indeed, some choose not to. Where the coroner chooses to await the completion of a BOI before holding the inquest, the coroner is provided only with a copy of the final BOI report. Where a BOI is completed after the inquest is held there is no requirement to inform the coroner of its findings.
	Where a BOI is held into the circumstances surrounding a death the MOD recognises that the bereaved families of Service personnel will have an interest in its conclusions and our policy is that we offer a personal briefing and a copy of the BOI report to the next of kin. Where the family wishes subsequently to question any aspect of the BOI they may do so in a number of ways: during the briefing given to them on the Board's findings, conclusions and recommendations; through their Visiting Officer; by contacting the relevant single Service authority using the details provided with their copy of the BOI report; through their Member of Parliament; or by contacting the Ministry of Defence in writing by letter or email using the Ministry of Defence website.
	Should new information come to light after the completion of the final report which the convening authority judges to cast doubt on the conclusions of the BOI, a new inquiry may be convened to review the findings in light of the new information.

Armed Forces: Death

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidance is given to members of the armed forces on their choice of notified next-of kin; what opportunities there are to revise and update named individuals according to circumstances; and what provision is made for the designation of other individuals to be notified in the event of death in service.

Bob Ainsworth: The definitions and guidance for nominations of next of kin (NoK) and emergency contacts (EC) are laid out in annex A to chapter 1 of Joint Service Publication 751. All service personnel are fully briefed during training on the importance keeping details of their NoK/EC up to date, and update briefs are delivered prior to deployment. Service personnel are required to record their NoK and EC details via the self-service facility on the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) system. They can also telephone the JPA Centre (JPAC) inquiry centre where an operator will update their records for them whenever the requirement arises. Individuals can nominate a number of ECs who will be informed, in addition to the NoK, in the event of death.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes have been made to the standard pre-recruitment information pack for the armed forces following the review conducted in 2007; what information is available to parents of recruits on access to the Service Complaints Commissioner; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the information pack.

Bob Ainsworth: Information about the role of the Service Complaints Commissioner (SCC) is communicated through a number of means. Joint Service Publication 831 Service Complaints (Redress of Individual Grievance) sets out the policy and process for making and handling Service complaints, and includes a chapter on the role of the SCC. This is available on the Defence intranet and www.mod.uk to all serving personnel. A booklet covering the main points of the complaints process, with a leaflet explaining the role of the SCC has been issued for distribution to all Service establishments. A team profile is under development on the Defence intranet to make information relating to Service complaints available electronically. This profile will also provide a link to the SCC's website. The SCC has visited establishments of all three Services, and continues to do so regularly, to meet serving personnel and the chain of command to raise awareness of her role.
	There is no standard tri-Service pre-recruitment pack and the three Services have different approaches to providing information to recruits about how to make complaints in confidence:
	 Navy
	During Phase 1 training Royal Navy and Royal Marine Rating and Other Ranks recruits at each establishment are briefed on both equality and diversity related complaints and Service complaints generally.
	 Army
	All recruits and trainees receive briefings that inform them of the function of the complaints procedures and the various channels which are available to raise a complaint. These include: the chain of command, Women's Royal Voluntary Service, the Padre, the Unit Welfare Officer, a Medical Officer and the confidential Support Line.
	This is currently in the process of being reinforced by the inclusion of detail covering the role of the SCC in the "Army Recruiting and Training Division Code of Conduct and Behaviour for Recruits," leaflet and the Recruiting Group publication, "A Guide for Guardians and Parents". With the Commissioner's agreement, a paragraph outlining her role will be included in letters sent to parents.
	 RAF
	There are two training establishments for the RAF, Cranwell and Halton.
	At RAF Cranwell, the Officer and Aircrew Cadet Training Unit is responsible for conducting the initial training of all officers and non-commissioned aircrew.
	Since January 2008, all cadets at RAF Cranwell have been briefed during their first week of training on the role and contact details of the SCC.
	At RAF Halton, comprehensive measures are in place to ensure that new recruits are aware of the complaints procedures. These include two 45 minute briefings on the RAF's Equality and Diversity Policy, and the distribution of a booklet entitled "Combating Bullying and Harassment in the Royal Air Force" to all recruits. The issue is also addressed in the Station Commander's Supervisory Care Directive, which is mandatory reading by all instructors at RAF Halton and is available to all recruits.

AWE Management: Emergencies

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date the Royal Berkshire Hospital last took part in a Level 1 emergency exercise for an Atomic Weapons Establishment site; and when the hospital is next scheduled to participate in such an exercise.

Quentin Davies: The Royal Berkshire Hospital plays an important role in emergency planning for Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) sites and is routinely invited to participate in Level one emergency exercises. The hospital last took part in a Level one emergency exercise for an AWE site on 30 September 2003. AWE supported an exercise at the Hospital involving simulated management and treatment of radioactively contaminated casualties in October 2006. The next Level one exercises are planned for late spring (Aldermaston) and autumn (Burghfield) 2009; precise dates have yet to be finalised with the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate.

Information Warfare

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what definition his Department uses of  (a) cyber terrorism and  (b) cyber warfare; and what assessment he has made of the cyber threats posed to the UK.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 27 October 2008
	Although we do not have specific definitions for the term cyber terrorism and cyber warfare, we have produced assessments and developed policies in specific areas related to this terminology.
	The MOD works in close cooperation with those Government Departments and agencies engaged in assessing threats to the UK. The classification of these assessments prohibits disclosure of their content.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 27 October 2008,  Official Report, column 635W, on Iraq: peacekeeping operations, 
	(1)  what issues were covered in the discussions with Jaish-al-Mahdi;
	(2)  what the outcome was of the discussions between UK forces and Jaish-al-Mahdi;
	(3)  with which organisations discussions were held;
	(4)  when the discussions between the armed forces and Jaish-al-Mahdi  (a) began and  (b) were completed; and what the dates were of meetings.

John Hutton: holding answer 3 November 2008
	Discussions with senior figures in Jaish-al-Mahdi in Basra commenced in the summer of 2007 and continued until the end of the year. In a similar manner to other dialogue between the coalition, the government of Iraq and militia groups, these discussions covered a wide range of issues, including the local security situation, future economic and redevelopment plans and the future role of militia groups within a democratic Iraq. The benefits of this strategy were demonstrated by the fact that on 4 December 2007 all the major parties in Basra—including the Sadrists—signed a document that committed them to supporting the rule of law in the city and the Iraqi Security Forces as its guardian. Across Iraq, dialogue between the coalition, the government of Iraq and militia groups continues.

Military Aircraft

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) aircraft and  (b) helicopters his Department has leased from commercial contractors in each year since 2003; and what the total cost in each year was.

Quentin Davies: The number of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters leased in each year since 2003 was as follows:
	
		
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Training Aircraft 118 125 125 125 125 
			 C-17 Globemaster 4 4 4 4 4 
			 Helicopters 65 66 66 64 63 
		
	
	The figures for helicopters correct the answer given to the hon. Member for North Devon (Nick Harvey) on 29 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 2014-15W.
	Aircraft leasing costs are not identifiable uniquely from other associated costs, as they may form part of Multi-Activity Contracts which include flying hours, engineering support, simulator hours and in some cases civilian flying instructors and station/airfield support. On this basis, the overall costs for each financial year, were as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Training Aircraft 14.4 19.1 20.2 20.5 21.8 
			 Helicopters 44 48 49 50 51 
		
	
	The four C-17 aircraft were leased between 2001 and June 2008, after which the leases were ended. As each lease has ended, the last concluding in September 2008, MOD has taken ownership of the aircraft. In accordance with the contractual agreement I am withholding the in-year costs. However, the cost of the lease and support package for a seven year contract between 2001 and 2008 was £769 million.

Coinage: Forgery

Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many prosecutions were brought against forgers of one pound coins in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what guidance his Department and its agencies provide to consumers on how to identify whether a one pound coin is genuine or counterfeit;
	(3)  how many counterfeit one pound coins were removed from circulation in each of the last five years.

Angela Eagle: The Royal Mint includes information on ways that a counterfeit £1 coin might be identified on the 'Frequently Asked Questions' section of its website
	www.royalmint.gov.uk/.
	The following counterfeit £1 coins have been returned to the Royal Mint:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2003-04 85,500 
			 2004-05 117,500 
			 2005-06 84,500 
			 2006-07 153,800 
			 2007-08 97,000 
		
	
	The Royal Mint does not hold central data regarding the number of prosecutions brought against forgers of one pound coins.
	The Metropolitan Police and the Serious Organised Crime Agency closed down an illicit Mint producing counterfeit £1 coins in December 2007. This resulted in a conviction and a sentence of five years imprisonment.

Excise Duties: Aviation

Ian Stewart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what modelling has been undertaken in assessing the likely impact on the economic viability of the aviation industry of the introduction of aviation duty.

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Gentlemen to the answer I gave to my hon. Friends, the Member for Manchester, Blackley (Graham Stringer) and the Member for Derby, North (Mr. Laxton) and to the hon. Member for Manchester, Withington (Mr. Leech) on 27 October 2008,  Official Report, column 789-90W.

Excise Duties: Fuels

Richard Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the rate of duty to apply to waste derived fuel oil from 1 November 2008 on the complete recovery of waste oil to produce product equivalent fuel;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 14 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1059, on excise duties: fuel oil, what considerations informed the Government's decision to  (a) apply to the EU for an extension of the derogation from the Energy Products Directive and  (b) apply a rate of 9.29 pence per litre to waste-derived fuel oil, rather than the 15 euros per 1,000 kilograms minimum required under the Energy Products Directive;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of  (a) the likely annual tax revenue from the application of hydrocarbon oil duty to waste-derived fuel and  (b) the likely annual administrative costs to the Government of the application of hydrocarbon oil duty to waste-derived fuel.

Angela Eagle: The Government have considered the effects of the rate of duty on the management of waste oil as a whole.
	In applying for a renewal of the derogation on waste oil reused as fuel the Government were concerned about the impact of ending the derogation at a time when the future of the waste oil market was uncertain due to the introduction of the EC waste incineration directive and review of the EC waste framework directive. Also that the benefits to be gained from ending the derogation would be disproportionate to the compliance and administrative costs involved.
	The UK is required to impose duty on waste oils reused as fuel and the duty rate to be applied is consistent with the relevant EU directive.
	Our assessment of the revenue and administrative cost implications is set out in the "Impact Assessment of the implementation of the Energy Products Directive (EPD) on the use of waste oils reused as fuel", published on 20 February 2008.

Police: Pensions

David Hamilton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions his Department has had with members of the Scottish Executive on the funding of changes to police pensions.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 3 November 2008
	The Treasury has discussions with the Scottish Executive from time to time on a number of issues. The Scottish Executive has recently announced changes which it plans to make to police pensions, funded out of its existing budget.

Valuation Office: Geographical Information Systems

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 29 September 2008,  Official Report, column 2307W, on the Valuation Office: Geographical Information Systems, whether the Agency or HM Revenue and Customs plans to publish an invitation to tender document for any of the project for the new system.

Stephen Timms: No. Four companies were invited to tender. The invitations to tender documents have not been published beyond the four companies due to commercial sensitivities.

Community Orders: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many community orders were issued to residents of  (a) Hertfordshire and  (b) Hemel Hempstead in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: Data on community sentences (including the community order and other community sentences) is available by police force area and the following table shows the number of community sentences imposed by the courts in the Hertfordshire police force area 2002 to 2006. Data for 2007 will be available later in the year. Community sentence data are not made available for smaller areas because detailed checks on sentencing data are not carried out at court level.
	
		
			  Number of persons sentenced( 1)  to community sentences in Hertfordshire police force area, 2002 to 2006. England and Wales. Criminal justice area 
			   Hertfordshire police force area (Number of persons) 
			 2002 2,709 
			 2003 3,019 
			 2004 3,363 
			 2005 3,617 
			 2006 3,716 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis.  Note: These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.  Source:  OMS Analytical Services

Marriage

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to ensure the rights of women are protected in the approval by English courts of  (a) marriages and  (b) divorces completed under Sharia law;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to ensure that English courts have the  (a) resources and  (b) expertise to exercise proper scrutiny of marriages and divorces completed under Sharia law which come before them;
	(3)  how many consent order forms were issued by his Department for approval by English courts of  (a) marriages and  (b) divorces completed under Sharia law in each of the last five years; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the necessary form;
	(4)  how many divorces completed under Sharia law and granted consent orders by English courts involved individuals under the age of 18 years in the last 10 years;
	(5)  how many marriages completed under Sharia law were referred to English courts for a consent order in each of the last five years;
	(6)  what estimate he has made of the number of marriages completed under Sharia law which were not referred to English courts for a consent order in each of the last five years;
	(7)  how many marriages completed under Sharia law were  (a) granted and  (b) denied consent orders by English courts in each of the last five years;
	(8)  how many marriages completed under Sharia law and granted a consent order by English courts involved individuals under the age of 18 years in the last 10 years;
	(9)  what estimate he has made of the number of divorces completed under Sharia law which were not referred to English courts for a consent order in each of the last five years;
	(10)  how many divorces completed under Sharia law were  (a) granted and  (b) denied consent orders by English courts in each of the last five years;
	(11)  how many divorces completed under Sharia law and granted consent orders by English courts were initiated by  (a) women and  (b) men in each of the last five years.

Jack Straw: When a petition for divorce is lodged at a court the court requires information to ascertain that there was a valid marriage between the parties, and the grounds on which a divorce is sought. The religious affiliation of the parties is not included on divorce documents. Hence it is not possible to provide any statistics that relate to the parties' religion.
	Marriages conducted in this country under Sharia law are not recognised in England and Wales unless they also comply with the provisions of the Marriage Acts. Therefore "Sharia marriages" are not a legal reality in this country and we cannot obtain statistics for them. We are aware that many Muslim couples undergo both a civil ceremony in a register office and a purely religious ceremony. The former is recognised but the latter is not. Increasing numbers of mosques are registered so that they can offer a joint civil and religious marriage ceremony. Section 55 of the Family Law Act 1986 allows parties to a marriage to apply for an order that their marriage is valid, or to allow "divorced" parties similarly to test the validity of their divorce. This provision is used rarely, and generally to test the validity of marriages contracted abroad and foreign divorces. A sharia marriage contracted in this country which does not comply with Marriage Act requirements would not be validated.
	"Sharia divorces" conducted in this country are also unrecognised by the legal system. The English courts do not approve divorces or annulments granted by any faith group, therefore no statistics are available for them. A sharia divorce dissolves the religious "limb" of a marriage but leaves the civil marriage intact. This must be dissolved by a civil divorce. If no civil marriage has taken place then no civil divorce is required.
	Consent orders differ widely according to what is required in each case. Therefore there is no standard form for a consent order. In a consent order relating to children the court can, among other things, make orders relating to contact, residence, a requirement that either parent do something or refrain from doing it, an order for expert reports or for contact activities or for review. In financial matters a court can deal with income, capital, pensions, assets and can, among others orders, make periodical payment, secured periodical payment, lump sum or property adjustment orders, pension sharing orders, and asset distribution orders.
	The only orders that can be made during an extant marriage are an order for validity of marriage, as described above, or an order for judicial separation, which has similar effects to divorce save that the parties are still regarded as married, albeit legally separated. This type of order is usually used by those with a religious objection to divorce. Neither of these orders is likely to be made by consent.
	Consent orders can be applied for following negotiations and an agreement reached by the parties directly, or with the help of lawyers, mediators, or a third party, which might be a Sharia council. Sharia councils operate under the statutory basis of the Arbitration Act 1996, established by the previous Government. The family court would be unable to tell whether an application for a consent order (whether within a divorce or in other proceedings) had been made as the result of negotiations conducted through a Sharia council, by the parties themselves, through mediation or by the intervention of any other third party. Applications for consent orders are generally filed by solicitors. In those circumstances the court can see whether the parties had the' benefit of legal advice. However, even if lawyers have represented the parties, the court will still check consent orders to ensure that they appear to be within the range of orders that could be made had the matter been adjudicated in court.
	There are many forms of alternative dispute resolution available to assist parties to reach an agreement in family cases, but whichever method the parties use; the principles applied by the court are the same. The court cannot simply 'rubber-stamp' an agreement in a family case, whatever the process by which the agreement has been reached, and judges can and do ask for further information where there is any doubt about the propriety of a proposed order.
	Any proposed consent order submitted to the court, whether the product of an agreement by the Sharia council or not, might be made by coercion and it is the function of the judiciary to question any order which appears unfair.
	An order which on its face involved an undue financial advantage to one party or set out arrangements for children which excluded care by or contact with one parent would be the sort of order which alerts a court to potential coercion and the need to ask for further information and, if appropriate, to refuse to make the order requested.
	Court statistics do not include the ages of the parties at the time a consent order is made, although the information is available to the court when considering the terms of the order, and is one of the factors taken into account in making a decision as to the fairness or otherwise of an order. The Office for National Statistics' records show that between 1996 and 2005 only 18 women and no men under the age of 18 were divorced.

Prisoners

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people serving custodial sentences for each type of offence of  (a) less than one month,  (b) between one and three months,  (c) between three and six months and  (d) between six and 12 months were in prison on average at any one time in each of the last 10 years.

David Hanson: Figures showing the numbers of prisoners serving sentences in all prison establishments in England and Wales by offence group and in the sentence length bands requested can be found in the following table.
	I refer also to the Offender Management Caseload Statistics, 2007, published on 30 October, copies of which have been placed in the House of Commons Library. This will provide additional context to the statistics supplied in the answer.
	The breakdowns in the table for the years 2002-06 are further breakdowns of tables to be found in earlier editions of the Offender Management Caseload Statistics (table 8.12 for 2006) and Prison Statistics for England and Wales. Data are not available to provide equivalent further breakdowns for the years 1998 to 2001, and the statistics provided for these years are therefore taken from the annual published table in Prison Statistics for England and Wales.
	The figures provided have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	
		
			  Immediate custodial sentenced population in prison establishments by sentence length and offence group 
			   All sentence lengths  All within requested range  (a) Less than one month  (b) One month and less than three months  (c) Three months and less than six months  (d) Six months less than 12 months 
			  2007   
			 All 65,533 7,626 337 1,231 3,597 2,462 
			 Violence against the person 17,616 1,458 54 209 767 428 
			 Sexual offences 7,336 102 9 14 26 54 
			 Robbery 8,747 264 41 53 88 81 
			 Burglary 7,920 643 44 73 254 272 
			 Then and handling 3,706 1,720 73 303 819 526 
			 Fraud and forgery 1,738 477 5 25 160 287 
			 Drug offences 10,613 231 20 35 82 94 
			 Motoring offences 1,484 891 8 109 587 187 
			 Other offences 5,991 1,761 74 397 789 501 
			 Offence not recorded 383 80 8 15 26 32 
			
			  2006   
			 All 63,404 8,484 363 1,461 4,136 2,525 
			 Violence against the person 16,215 1,608 66 257 862 423 
			 Sexual offences 6,598 125 9 15 41 60 
			 Robbery 8,415 215 37 37 67 75 
			 Burglary 7,791 677 33 85 280 279 
			 Theft and handling 4,125 2,077 71 398 996 611 
			 Fraud and forgery 1,692 444 4 38 145 257 
			 Drug offences 10,647 250 24 48 93 85 
			 Motoring offences 1,920 1,305 9 190 879 227 
			 Other offences 5,594 1,689 104 381 752 452 
			 Offence not recorded 408 96 5 13 21 67 
			
			  2005   
			 All 62,179 8,234 391 1,491 4,127 2,225 
			 Violence against the person 15,178 1,571 57 281 846 386 
			 Sexual offences 6,185 127 13 10 47 56 
			 Robbery 8,378 179 35 30 63 51 
			 Burglary 8,082 600 44 73 274 209 
			 Theft and handling 4,126 1,977 81 441 924 531 
			 Fraud and forgery 1,454 393 4 42 139 208 
			 Drug offences 10,661 251 34 39 92 86 
			 Motoring offences 2,163 1,472 12 229 1.052 179 
			 Other offences 5,289 1,517 103 336 637 441 
			 Offence not recorded 664 148 8 10 53 77 
			  2004   
			 All 60,924 8,057 373 1,439 3,939 2,306 
			 Violence against the person 13,974 1,406 81 234 696 395 
			 Sexual offences 5,773 103 5 12 38 47 
			 Robbery 8,448 184 29 39 62 54 
			 Burglary 8,643 698 40 72 269 317 
			 Theft and handling 4,404 2,046 87 431 922 607 
			 Fraud and forgery 1,147 336 3 40 172 121 
			 Drug offences 10,486 203 19 37 76 71 
			 Motoring offences 2,403 1,619 19 277 1,140 184 
			 Other offences 4,842 1,280 81 279 501 420 
			 Offence not recorded 803 182 10 20 63 90 
			
			  2003   
			 All 59,393 8,178 337 1,469 4,163 2,209 
			 Violence against the person 12,986 1,156 58 204 581 313 
			 Sexual offences 5.540 91 5 16 30 41 
			 Robbery 8,286 180 36 45 48 51 
			 Burglary 8,816 700 38 75 282 305 
			 Theft and handling 4,651 2,292 84 457 1,114 637 
			 Fraud and forgery 1,022 284 6 37 156 85 
			 Drug offences 10,330 253 28 37 86 102 
			 Motoring offences 2,689 2,000 22 351 1,362 265 
			 Other offences 4,186 1,038 56 225 438 319 
			 Offence not recorded 886 185 6 21 65 93 
			
			  2002   
			 All 57,272 7,796 337 1,319 3,791 2,349 
			 Violence against the person 12,212 1,079 45 162 511 362 
			 Sexual offences 5,294 87 1 16 25 46 
			 Robbery 7,522 214 48 38 58 71 
			 Burglary 9,156 805 48 58 306 393 
			 Theft and handling 4,739 2,299 94 461 1,077 667 
			 Fraud and forgery 1,040 258 5 45 125 83 
			 Drug offences 10,067 244 22 26 81 115 
			 Motoring offences 2,259 1,674 17 293 1,140 225 
			 Other offences 3,911 887 50 197 387 253 
			 Offence not recorded 1,072 248 9 25 81 134 
		
	
	
		
			   ( 1) —  Up to and including 3 months  Over 3 months up to and including  Over 6 months less than 12 months 
			  2001  
			 All 54,169 8,542 2,428 3,958 2,156 
			 Violence against the person 11,637 1,160 262 541 357 
			 Rape 2,760 9 5 1 3 
			 Other Sexual offences 2,304 72 9 30 33 
			 Robbery 6,813 199 46 73 80 
			 Burglary 8,515 765 106 299 360 
			 Theft and handling 4,584 2,215 515 1,111 589 
			 Fraud and forgery 1.020 283 59 145 79 
			 Drug offences 9,068 262 73 92 97 
			 Other offences 6,581 3,357 1,317 1,587 453 
			 Offence not recorded 887 220 36 79 105 
			   
			  2000  
			 All 53,093 8,792 2,049 4,338 2,405 
			 Violence against the person 11,217 1,162 288 553 321 
			 Rape 2,702 12 9 3 0 
			 Other Sexual offences 2,388 112 18 46 48 
			 Robbery 6,353 193 54 74 65 
			 Burglary 8,982 898 135 372 391 
			 Theft and handling 5,044 2,580 640 1,184 756 
			 Fraud and forgery 1,016 282 69 127 86 
			 Drug offences 8,473 324 78 117 129 
			 Other offences 6,051 2,954 721 1,745 488 
			 Offence not recorded 866 275 37 117 121 
			   
			  1999  
			 All 51,293 7,380 1,650 3,540 2,190 
			 Violence against the person 10,858 1,006 214 460 332 
			 Rape 2,576 0 0 0 0 
			 Other Sexual offences 2,370 122 9 38 75 
			 Robbery 6,331 86 14 39 33 
			 Burglary 8,780 791 97 334 360 
			 Theft and handling 4,411 2,068 529 945 594 
			 Fraud and forgery 1,104 283 44 142 97 
			 Drug offences 8,169 279 45 100 134 
			 Other offences 5,398 2,538 669 1,416 453 
			 Offence not recorded 1,296 207 29 66 112 
			   
			  1998  
			 All 52,159 7,610 1,500 3,599 2,511 
			 Violence against the person 10,944 1,049 217 504 328 
			 Rape 2,373 0 0 0 0 
			 Other Sexual offences 2,422 124 13 55 56 
			 Robbery 6,626 117 16 53 48 
			 Burglary 8,656 770 101 287 382 
			 Theft and handling 4,492 1,928 389 895 644 
			 Fraud and forgery 1,199 321 59 130 132 
			 Drug offences 7,893 409 41 157 211 
			 Other offences 5,425 2,555 631 1,390 534 
			 Offence not recorded 2,129 336 33 128 175 
			 (1) Data unavailable to provide further breakdown

Prisoners: Nationality

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what percentage of  (a) foreign national prisoners and  (b) prisoners of unknown nationality there were in each prison in England and Wales on 1 October 2008.

David Hanson: The following table indicates the numbers of prisoners who are recorded as being  (a) foreign national and  (b) nationality not yet recorded in all prison establishments in England and Wales as at 30 September 2008. Although nationality may not yet be recorded in certain instances, this is not indicative of where nationality is unknown. Relevant checks with other Government Departments are conducted as appropriate in order to ascertain further details.
	
		
			   Foreign nationals in establishment  As a percentage of total population in establishment  Nationality not recorded in establishment  As a percentage of total population in establishment 
			  Male 
			 Acklington 28 3 0 0 
			 Albany 60 11 7 1 
			 Altcourse 95 8 15 1 
			 Ashfield 27 7 6 2 
			 Ashwell 65 11 1 0 
			 Aylesbury 61 14 0 0 
			 Bedford 93 19 4 1 
			 Belmarsh 193 21 17 2 
			 Birmingham 189 13 32 2 
			 Blantyre House 2 2 1 1 
			 Blundeston 91 18 0 0 
			 Brinsford 45 8 0 0 
			 Bristol 55 9 7 1 
			 Brixton 225 28 16 2 
			 Buckley Hall 19 5 0 0 
			 Bullingdon 153 15 7 1 
			 Bullwood Had 194 93 0 0 
			 Camp Hill 91 16 34 6 
			 Canterbury 281 97 1 0 
			 Cardiff 74 9 8 1 
			 Castington 15 4 2 1 
			 Channings Wood 44 6 0 0 
			 Chelmsford 114 16 20 3 
			 Coldingley 55 14 3 1 
			 Cookham Wood 5 10 0 0 
			 Dartmoor 29 5 0 0 
			 Deerbolt 12 3 1 0 
			 Doncaster 110 10 53 5 
			 Dorchester 24 10 5 2 
			 Dovegate 107 13 1 0 
			 Dover 298 99 3 1 
			 Durham 76 8 6 1 
			 Edmunds Hill 82 23 0 0 
			 Elmley 145 15 20 2 
			 Erlestoke 54 12 0 0 
			 Everthorpe 35 5 0 0 
			 Exeter 36 7 6 1 
			 Featherstone 70 10 1 0 
			 Feltham 147 23 30 5 
			 Ford 66 12 1 0 
			 Forest Bank 84 7 25 2 
			 Frankland 39 5 2 0 
			 Full Sutton 57 10 0 0 
			 Garth 59 7 1 0 
			 Gartree 44 8 0 0 
			 Glen Parva 69 9 3 0 
			 Gloucester 20 6 13 4 
			 Grendon/Spring Hill 20 4 0 0 
			 Guys Marsh 51 9 0 0 
			 Haslar 160 100 1 1 
			 Haverigg 23 4 0 0 
			 Hewell 200 14 5 0 
			 High down 229 21 36 3 
			 Highpoint 176 22 3 0 
			 Hindley 15 3 4 1 
			 Hollesley Bay 12 4 0 0 
			 Holme House 44 4 3 0 
			 Hull 47 5 5 0 
			 Huntercombe 58 17 6 2 
			 Kennet 23 7 0 0 
			 Kingston (Portsmouth) 17 9 0 0 
			 Kirkham 8 1 0 0 
			 Kirklevington Grange 0 0 0 0 
			 Lancaster Castle 5 2 0 0 
			 Lancaster Farms 19 4 11 2 
			 Latchmere House 9 5 0 0 
			 Leeds 84 9 6 1 
			 Leicester 62 17 7 2 
			 Lewes 75 11 7 1 
			 Leyhill 37 8 0 0 
			 Lincoln 67 9 9 1 
			 Lindholme 162 15 46 4 
			 Littlehey 119 16 0 0 
			 Liverpool 116 8 10 1 
			 Long Lartin 67 15 0 0 
			 Lowdham Grange 104 15 2 0 
			 Maidstone 96 20 1 0 
			 Manchester 197 16 43 4 
			 Moorland Open 6 2 0 0 
			 Moorland Closed 41 5 0 0 
			 North Sea Camp 16 5 1 0 
			 Northallerton 5 2 0 0 
			 Norwich 63 12 8 1 
			 Nottingham 73 13 14 3 
			 Onley 55 10 4 1 
			 Pare 45 4 5 0 
			 Parkhurst 80 16 6 1 
			 Pentonville 327 29 30 3 
			 Peterborough 104 17 18 3 
			 Portland 77 13 3 0 
			 Preston 33 4 5 1 
			 Ranby 100 9 2 0 
			 Reading 14 5 4 2 
			 Risley 73 7 0 0 
			 Rochester 79 17 0 0 
			 Rye Hill 135 21 0 0 
			 Shepton Mallet 5 3 0 0 
			 Shrewsbury 39 13 3 1 
			 Stafford 71 10 0 0 
			 Standford Hill 42 9 1 0 
			 Stocken 74 9 2 0 
			 Stoke Heath 17 3 3 0 
			 Sudbury 16 3 0 0 
			 Swaleside 151 20 1 0 
			 Swansea 36 9 3 1 
			 Swinfen Hall 46 7 1 0 
			 The Mount 219 29 3 0 
			 The Verne 359 61 0 0 
			 The Wolds 18 5 0 0 
			 Thorn Cross 1 0 1 0 
			 Usk/Prescoed 17 4 0 0 
			 Wakefield 55 7 2 0 
			 Wandsworth 478 29 89 5 
			 Warren Hill 12 6 15 7 
			 Wayland 134 13 5 0 
			 Wealstun 33 6 1 0 
			 Wellingborough 95 15 1 0 
			 Werrington 7 5 7 5 
			 Wetherby 5 2 6 2 
			 Whatton 70. 8 0 0 
			 Whitemoor 66 15 3 1 
			 Winchester 62 11 2 0 
			 Woodhill 114 14 21 3 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 457 36 20 2 
			 Wymott 60 6 0 0 
			  
			  Female 
			 Askham Grange 3 3 8 0 
			 Bronzefield 103 25 49 12 
			 Downview 73 20 1 0 
			 Drake Halt 50 20 1 0 
			 East Sutton Park 8 9 0 0 
			 Eastwood Park 41 13 2 1 
			 Foston Hall 16 7 3 1 
			 Holloway 126 26 17 4 
			 Low Newton 22 7 0 0 
			 Morton Hail 235 68 0 0 
			 New Hall 41 10 7 2 
			 Peterborough 57 16 10 3 
			 Send 38 14 1 0 
			 Styal 35 8 5 1 
			  
			 Total 11,168 13 944 1 
		
	
	Population data were published on the Ministry of Justice website on 31 October 2008 in line with standard practice:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/populationincustody.htm
	This information is updated quarterly.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer he was given on 15 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1235W.
	These figures include prisoners held on remand or serving custodial sentences, as well as those held under the Immigration Act 1971 (including those in the immigration removal centres of Dover, Haslar and Lindholme).
	In September's data around 77 per cent. of prisoners for whom nationality is unrecorded are remand prisoners. Unrecorded nationalities account for 1 per cent. of the overall population.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Repossession Orders: Mortgages

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) immediate and  (b) suspended orders for possession have been made in mortgage repossession proceedings in each region in each of the last five years.

Bridget Prentice: The following table shows the numbers of outright and suspended orders made for mortgage possession in each region in England and Wales since 2003.
	These figures do not indicate how many houses have been repossessed through the courts, since not all the orders will have resulted in the issue and execution of warrants of possession.
	
		
			  Number of mortgage( 1)  possession orders( 2)  made in HM Courts Service regions, and in England and Wales 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  Total 
			  Suspended orders   
			 London 3,252 3,996 6,489 6,914 6,129 26,780 
			 Midlands 4,705 5,222 7,174 8,585 8,968 34,654 
			 North East 3,579 3,687 5,360 6,967 7,009 26,602 
			 North West 4,003 3,805 5,043 6,714 7,179 26,744 
			 South East 4,933 5,759 8,174 8,647 8,000 35,513 
			 South West 2,305 2,593 3,750 4,114 3,757 16,519 
			 Wales 1,729 1,527 2,156 2,700 2,991 11,103 
			 England and Wales 24,506 26,589 38,146 44,641 44,033 177,915 
			
			  Outright orders   
			 London 2,742 3,792 6,621 8,298 7,945 29,398 
			 Midlands 2,936 3,715 5,943 8,816 10,069 31,479 
			 North East 2,427 2,549 4,279 6,643 8,043 23,941 
			 North West 2,635 2,687 4,072 6,499 7,890 23,783 
			 South East 3,268 4,291 7,046 9,046 9,824 33,475 
			 South West 1,425 1,940 3,068 4,001 4,421 14,855 
			 Wales 1,099 1,120 1,789 2,736 3,208 9,952 
			 England and Wales 16,532 20,094 32,818 46,039 51,400 166,883 
			
			  All orders   
			 London 5,994 7,788 13,110 15,212 14,074 56,178 
			 Midlands 7,641 8,937 13,117 17,401 19,037 66,133 
			 North East 6,006 6,236 9,639 13,610 15,052 50,543 
			 North West 6,638 6,492 9,115 13,213 15,069 50,527 
			 South East 8,201 10,050 15,220 17,693 17,824 68,988 
			 South West 3,730 4,533 6,818 8,115 8,178 31,374 
			 Wales 2,828 2,647 3,945 5,436 6,199 21,055 
			 England and Wales 41,038 46,683 70,964 90,680 95,433 344,798 
			 (1 )Mortgage possession data includes all types of lenders whether local authority or private. (2 )The court, following a judicial hearing, may grant an order for possession immediately. This entitles the claimant to apply for a warrant to have the defendant evicted. However, even where a warrant for possession is issued, the parties can still negotiate a compromise to prevent eviction.  Notes: 1. Includes suspended orders and orders made.  2. Does not include the small number of possession actions entered in the High Court.   Source:  Ministry of Justice

Young Offenders: Literacy

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of young offenders in custody were unable to read or write  (a) on admission and  (b) on release in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Hanson: All young offenders under the age of 18 are assessed. Young offenders over the age of 18 are only assessed where basic skills screening indicates a literacy or numeracy deficiency and they have been referred to a learning provider.
	In the academic year 2007-08 there were a total of 7,329 learning and skills assessments carried out in young offender institutions (YOIs). 24 per cent. of those assessments showed literacy revels below level 1 with numeracy below level 1 at 33 per cent. In the same period 1,388 qualifications were achieved below level 1, 1,813 qualifications at level 1 and 771 were achieved at level 2. Assessment of individuals was not carried out on release from custody and information is not available centrally.

Young Offenders: Prisoners Release

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of young offenders went to  (a) housing provided by a family member, ( b) housing provided by a local authority or other statutory provider,  (c) housing provided by a charity and  (d) an address unknown to the authorities following release from custody in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Hanson: Currently suitable accommodation after custody is a key element in the Government's Youth Crime Action Plan and we have been consulting on how we can increase young offender's access to this resource. The responses to the consultation will inform future policy in this area. There is also a National Indicator 46, 'Young offender's access to suitable accommodation', which will encourage local authorities to support this aim. This information is not collected centrally.

Overseas Aid

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make it his policy not to allocate aid and assistance to countries which operate space programmes.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development's (DFID) policy on providing aid is set out in the UK Government's 2006 White Paper. This is available online:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/wp2006/default.asp
	DFID concentrates its development assistance on countries with the largest numbers of poor people and on fragile states. When then deciding whether to use aid to support a country's government, DFID undertakes a detailed assessment of that government's commitment to: reducing poverty; upholding human rights; and improving public financial management.
	When assessing a government's commitment to reducing poverty the composition of their public expenditure programme is viewed as a whole. It would not be appropriate to make that assessment based solely on whether they include or exclude specific expenditures.

Rwanda: Overseas Aid

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid the Government has provided to Rwanda in each of the last three years.

Douglas Alexander: The UK Government have provided the following amounts of aid to Rwanda during the last three years:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005 29,325,834 
			 2006 51,298,863 
			 2007 47,204,899

Civil Servants: Pensions

Paul Rowen: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the annual change in the cost to the public purse arising from the recent changes to Civil Service pensions; and if he will make a statement.
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the annual savings accruing to the public purse as a result of the introduction of a career average pension scheme within the Civil Service pension scheme.

Tom Watson: I refer the hon. member to the written ministerial statement made by my hon. friend the then Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Gillian Merron) on 26 July 2007,  Official Report, column 105WS, which gave details of the package of civil service pension reform. The impact to date of the introduction of the nuvos scheme on the overall membership of the civil service pension scheme, and on overall costs, is limited. However, the scheme actuary has estimated long-term annual savings in employer contributions at 1.2 per cent. of the total pensionable payroll (the total pensionable payroll is currently around £14 billion).

Civil Servants: Pensions

Paul Rowen: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many civil servants will receive payments from the Civil Service Pension Scheme in 2008-09.

Tom Watson: Details of benefits payable under the principal civil service pension scheme will be included in the Cabinet Office: Civil Superannuation Resource Accounts 2008-09, expected to be published shortly before the summer recess.

Parliamentary Counsel Office: Manpower

Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many staff are employed by the Parliamentary Counsel Office on a  (a) full-time equivalent and  (b) headcount basis; and how many such staff were employed on 1 January (i) 2007 and (ii) 2008.

Tom Watson: As at the end of September 2008 there were 83 people employed in the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel. This equated to 79.91 full-time equivalents.
	87 people were employed in the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel as at 1 January 2007, this equated to 84.42 full-time equivalents. 82 people were employed in the Office as at 1 January 2008, this equated to 81.5 full-time equivalents.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what recent steps the Government has taken to encourage children and young people to volunteer.

Kevin Brennan: As outlined in the Third Sector Review, the Government are investing £117 million in youth volunteering through v from 2008 to 2011. This is the biggest ever investment in youth volunteering, v has so far created around 750,000 volunteering opportunities.
	The Office of the Third Sector have also provided funding in this financial year to the following organisations that provide or promote youth volunteering opportunities: Youthnet UK (£472,800), National Youth Agency (£315,200), Youth Action Network (£157,600) and the British Youth Council (£94,600).

Community Relations: Islam

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department has taken to implement Recommendation 12 of the Preventing Extremism Together report of 2005 concerning the development of Muslim beacon centres around the UK at the heart of Muslim geographic concentrations.

Sadiq Khan: Progress has been made in implementing 49 of the 64 recommendations in the 2005 'Preventing Extremism Together' (PET). Of the 27 that were for Government to take forward, 22 have been either completed, are under way or are being taken forward as part of other work on preventing violent extremism. Outstanding actions are being taken forward as part of the overall cross-Government Prevent strategy.
	This recommendation, referring to the development of Muslim Beacon centres around the UK at the heart of Muslim geographic concentrations was for Muslim communities to take forward. We remain open to the consideration of any requests for Government support in this area.

Elderly

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her estimate is of the number of over-80s households in  (a) Eastbourne,  (b) East Sussex and  (c) the UK in the 2008-09 fiscal year.

Margaret Beckett: The following table shows the projected number of 'over-80s' households in Eastbourne, East Sussex and England for mid-2008:
	
		
			  Over-80s households, 2008 
			   Number (Thousand) 
			 Eastbourne 5 
			 East Sussex 35 
			 England 1,690 
		
	
	The figures are from the Communities and Local Government Household Projections (revised 2004-based). These provide figures for England only.

Fire Services

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local fire authorities have signed up to the FireGuard contract; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: FireGuard is a collaborative procurement between 33 fire and rescue authorities to provide back up emergency cover. We understand that no authority is currently signed up to the contract.

Fire Services: Pensions

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average payment per person to members of the Fire Service Pension Scheme was in 2008.

Sadiq Khan: According to figures submitted by fire and rescue authorities, the average payment per pensioner in 2007-08 was approximately £11,200.

Local Government: Gloucestershire

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what correspondence she has had with Gloucestershire County Council on unitary authority status; and if she will publish it.

John Healey: Gloucestershire county council did not respond to the our "Invitation to Councils", issued in October 2006, to submit unitary proposals and our records show no correspondence with the county council about unitary authority status, other than a freedom of information request in 2006 for information about representations received on the unitary issue. The information requested was provided.

Mortgages: Repossession Orders

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent representations she has had from the Citizens Advice Bureaux in respect of mortgage holders facing repossession of their homes by banks or building societies when difficulties arise with mortgage payments.

Margaret Beckett: Government are working closely with a range of stakeholders—including the Citizens Advice Bureaux—to help vulnerable households in financial difficulty and facing repossession remain in their homes wherever possible. We are concerned about recent data released from CAB which shows a 51 per cent. increase in new mortgage and secured loan inquiries for the period July to September 2008 compared with the same period in 2007. That is why Government are taking urgent action to support vulnerable homeowners during these difficult times.

Tenants Rights

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what recent steps the Government has taken to increase the protection of private tenants;
	(2)  what recent steps the Government has taken to increase public awareness of the rights of private tenants;
	(3)  what recent steps the Government has taken to prevent private landlords retaining rental deposits without justification.

Margaret Beckett: The Government are keen to promote a strong private rented sector that acts professionally and meets the needs of all its customers. In January this year, we commissioned Julie Rugg and David Rhodes at the centre for housing policy at York university to carry out an independent review looking at how the sector is operating and what can be done to improve the experience of both landlords and tenants. The review, published on 23 October, puts forward some very interesting ideas on how to raise standards and professionalism in the sector which we will be considering in consultation with stakeholders.
	We have already introduced measures to protect tenants' deposits. Under the Housing Act 2004, landlords are required to protect the deposits for all assured shorthold tenancies that have been created since 6 April 2007 in one of three Government-approved schemes. These arrangements are designed to safeguard the interests of both landlords and tenants, ensuring good practice in deposit handling, so that when a tenant pays a deposit and is entitled to get it back, he or she can be assured that this will happen. The arrangements also include measures to assist with the resolution of disputes, which are designed to make disagreements over the repayment of the deposit faster and cheaper to resolve. The scheme has got off to an excellent start. In the first year, nearly one million deposits totalling over £900 million were protected under the new arrangements at the rate of 2,500 deposits a day.
	Details of the tenancy deposit protection arrangements and other regularly updated publicity material setting out tenants' rights are available on the Department's website and through:
	www.direct.gov.uk

Alcoholic Drinks

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what venues were visited by KPMG during its review of the responsibility standards for the production and sale of alcoholic drinks, commissioned by her Department.

Alan Campbell: The Home Office was sent this Information from KPMG. However, we believe that this information is commercially sensitive, and it is not our practice to make public, information received from third parties.

Antisocial Behaviour

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how best practice on measures to combat anti-social behaviour is  (a) assessed and  (b) shared with others by her Department.

Alan Campbell: The Home Office antisocial behaviour ActionLine generates and evaluates case studies with the help of frontline practitioners on measures to combat antisocial behaviour. This information is available on the antisocial behaviour practitioner website:
	www.respect.gov.uk
	We also deliver regional workshops to help local practitioners make the best use of the available tools and powers.
	In addition, the effective practice database on the crime reduction website contains over 40 examples of how agencies across England and Wales have used a problem solving approach to tackle antisocial behaviour in their areas:
	http://www.crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk/cgi-bin/epd/index.cgi
	The website is a highly used channel to communicate directly with crime reduction practitioners across a wide range of crime issues.

Driving Offences

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were  (a) arrested and  (b) convicted for driving without a licence or insurance in (i) North West Cambridgeshire constituency, (ii) Cambridgeshire, (iii) the East of England and (iv) England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: The information requested on arrests is not collected centrally.
	The arrests collection held by the Home Office covers arrests for recorded crime (notifiable offences) only, broken down at a main offence group level, covering categories such as violence against the person and robbery. The offence of driving without a licence or insurance is not a notifiable offence and does not form a part of the arrests collection.
	Available information on convictions held by the Ministry of Justice, for the offences of 'driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence' and 'using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks', from 2002-06 (latest available) are provided in the following tables. 2007 data should be available end of November 2008.
	Data is available at police force area level only.
	
		
			  Table A: Findings of guilt at magistrates courts for the offence of 'using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks( 1) , within Cambridgeshire police force area, the East of England and England and Wales, 2002-06 
			   Number of offences 
			   2002  2003( 2)  2004  2005  2006 
			 Cambridgeshire 2,298 2,728 2,678 2,827 3,430 
			 East of England 21,569 24,917 23,965 23,464 23,430 
			 England and Wales 288,499 323,367 322,814 287,198 265,749 
			 (1) An offence under the Road Traffic Act 1988 s. 143(2) (2) As from 1 June 2003, 'driving a motor vehicle while uninsured against third party risks' became a fixed penalty offence.  Notes: 1. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences may be less than complete. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: Findings of guilt at magistrates courts for the offence of driving without a licence( 1)  within Cambridgeshire police force area, the East of England and England and Wales, 2002-06 
			   Number of offences 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,265 1,399 1,591 1,649 1,826 
			 East of England 11,834 13,859 14,016 13,681 12,645 
			 England and Wales 170,910 196,848 207,040 183,788 160,727 
			 (1) An offence under the Road Traffic Act 1988 s. 87 (1) and (2) as amended.  Notes: 1. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences may be less than complete. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Driving Offences: Mobile Phones

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drivers have been  (a) stopped by police,  (b) charged,  (c) convicted,  (d) fined and  (e) cautioned for driving while using a mobile phone in each police force area in each year since the ban came into force.

Alan Campbell: Information requested on the number of drivers stopped or charged for using hand held mobile phones while driving is not collected centrally. Data on court proceedings for the offence has been provided in lieu of charging.
	Available information taken from the Court proceedings Database held by the Ministry of Justice from 2003 to 2006 (latest available) is provided in table 1. 2007 data should be available end of November 2008.
	As the majority of 'use of hand held mobile phone while driving' offences are dealt with by the issue of a fixed penalty notice, data on the number issued are also included in table 2, covering the period from 2003 to 2006.
	
		
			  Table 1: Proceedings, findings of guilt and fines imposed at magistrates courts for the offence of use of hand held mobile phone while driving( 1,2)  by police force area, England and Wales, 2003-06 
			  Number of offences 
			   2003  2004 
			  Police force area  Total court proceedings( 2)  Total findings of guilt  Total number of court fines  Total court proceedings( 2)  Total findings of guilt  Total number of court fines 
			 Avon and Somerset 0 0 0 19 19 18 
			 Bedfordshire 1 1 1 5 5 5 
			 Cambridgeshire 0 0 0 7 6 6 
			 Cheshire 0 0 0 2 1 1 
			 Cleveland 0 0 0 4 3 3 
			 Cumbria 0 0 0 24 24 23 
			 Derbyshire 0 0 0 17 16 16 
			 Devon and Cornwall 0 0 0 19 17 16 
			 Dorset 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Durham 0 0 0 1 1 1 
			 Essex 0 0 0 28 25 25 
			 Gloucestershire 0 0 0 1 1 1 
			 Greater Manchester 0 0 0 73 65 64 
			 Hampshire 0 0 0 18 15 15 
			 Hertfordshire 0 0 0 6 6 6 
			 Humberside 0 0 0 4 4 4 
			 Kent 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Lancashire 0 0 0 17 16 15 
			 Leicestershire 0 0 0 12 9 8 
			 Lincolnshire 0 0 0 9 5 5 
			 London, City of 0 0 0 7 5 5 
			 Merseyside 0 0 0 22 20 10 
			 Metropolitan Police 0 0 0 203 124 116 
			 Norfolk 0 0 0 20 15 13 
			 Northamptonshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Northumbria 0 0 0 32 29 26 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 0 18 18 16 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 0 0 8 7 6 
			 South Yorkshire 0 0 0 12 12 11 
			 Staffordshire 0 0 0 11 10 9 
			 Suffolk 0 0 0 7 4 4 
			 Surrey 0 0 0 9 7 7 
			 Sussex 0 0 0 1 1 1 
			 Thames Valley 0 0 0 24 21 20 
			 Warwickshire 0 0 0 7 7 7 
			 West Mercia 0 0 0 17 15 14 
			 West Midlands 0 0 0 61 52 46 
			 West Yorkshire 0 0 0 11 9 9 
			 Wiltshire 0 0 0 21 19 18 
			 Dyfed Powys 0 0 0 13 13 13 
			 Gwent 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 North Wales 0 0 0 3 3 3 
			 South Wales 0 0 0 16 12 11 
			
			 England and Wales 1 1 1 789 641 596 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of offences 
			   2005  2006 
			  Police force area  Total court proceedings( 2)  Total findings of guilt  Total number of court fines  Total court proceedings( 2)  Total findings of guilt  Total number of court fines 
			 Avon and Somerset 47 39 38 54 48 48 
			 Bedfordshire 16 13 13 76 62 60 
			 Cambridgeshire 19 19 19 52 46 42 
			 Cheshire 15 14 14 36 30 29 
			 Cleveland 7 7 6 20 16 14 
			 Cumbria 41 35 34 57 53 52 
			 Derbyshire 52 49 48 35 30 29 
			 Devon and Cornwall 27 25 24 52 42 39 
			 Dorset 3 3 1 4 3 2 
			 Durham 2 2 2 16 15 15 
			 Essex 64 53 46 71 65 60 
			 Gloucestershire 4 4 4 10 7 6 
			 Greater Manchester 154 136 124 183 158 144 
			 Hampshire 40 34 33 69 63 62 
			 Hertfordshire 70 64 61 65 52 51 
			 Humberside 25 22 21 45 39 35 
			 Kent 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Lancashire 48 46 39 62 48 44 
			 Leicestershire 28 26 20 26 24 16 
			 Lincolnshire 15 12 11 30 24 23 
			 London, City of 14 12 12 24 20 20 
			 Merseyside 27 23 14 46 41 27 
			 Metropolitan Police 658 545 496 685 588 541 
			 Norfolk 21 17 17 31 21 19 
			 Northamptonshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Northumbria 22 20 20 98 89 84 
			 North Yorkshire 35 30 29 34 33 32 
			 Nottinghamshire 26 24 18 17 15 13 
			 South Yorkshire 25 21 17 43 32 30 
			 Staffordshire 21 21 19 19 16 16 
			 Suffolk 22 17 17 21 16 15 
			 Surrey 91 82 82 92 88 87 
			 Sussex 2 2 1 0 0 0 
			 Thames Valley 126 112 106 211 175 172 
			 Warwickshire 17 13 8 20 16 14 
			 West Mercia 59 50 48 88 74 70 
			 West Midlands 109 88 79 121 94 89 
			 West Yorkshire 47 38 36 52 37 29 
			 Wiltshire 29 22 21 38 32 32 
			 Dyfed Powys 16 13 13 15 14 13 
			 Gwent 4 3 3 6 4 3 
			 North Wales 17 13 12 30 26 25 
			 South Wales 25 20 20 28 21 18 
			
			 England and Wales 2,090 1,789 1,646 2,682 2,277 2,120 
			 (1) Offences under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, Regulations 110(1), 110(2) and 110(3). Introduced 1 December 2003. (2) Includes cases where a fixed penalty notice was originally issued but not paid and subsequently referred to court.  Notes: 1. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of fixed penalty notices issued for the use of a hand held mobile phone while driving( 1)  by police force area, England and Wales, 2003-06 
			   December 
			  Police force area  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			  England 
			 Avon and Somerset — 1,902 2,502 2,666 
			 Bedfordshire 10 579 944 1,749 
			 Cambridgeshire — 219 1,347 3,505 
			 Cheshire — 2,689 2,891 4,985 
			 Cleveland 13 1,066 1,955 2,263 
			 Cumbria 13 528 1,021 1,412 
			 Derbyshire 13 978 1,501 2,718 
			 Devon and Cornwall 345 796 1,482 1,892 
			 Dorset — 521 657 1.982 
			 Durham(2) — 504 963 1,004 
			 Essex — 2,431 4,369 6.857 
			 Gloucestershire 147 632 1,208 1,484 
			 Greater Manchester — 8,166 12,904 16,386 
			 Hampshire 54 2,032 4,078 6,614 
			 Hertfordshire — 2,526 3,923 4,614 
			 Humberside — 381 1,202 1,924 
			 Kent 15 1,707 4,829 4,708 
			 Lancashire 34 1,719 3,079 3,937 
			 Leicestershire 17 759 254 1,109 
			 Lincolnshire 7 1,529 2,514 3,273 
			 London, City of 45 137 1,647 2,077 
			 Merseyside — 1,836 5,684 8,800 
			 Metropolitan 681 13,581 18,035 22,640 
			 Norfolk(3) 17 887 904 — 
			 Northamptonshire 1 297 971 1,428 
			 Northumbria 56 1,271 2,409 3,248 
			 North Yorkshire 5 720 1,289 2,414 
			 Nottinghamshire — 653 1,637 3,022 
			 South Yorkshire 28 1,978 3,978 3,109 
			 Staffordshire 12 264 2.346 2,416 
			 Suffolk 42 978 1,707 2,613 
			 Surrey 164 2,213 3,575 3,988 
			 Sussex — 546 1,105 2,318 
			 Thames Valley 25 3,716 7.111 3,587 
			 Warwickshire — 621 918 1,281 
			 West Mercia — 2,200 5,246 6,842 
			 West Midlands 144 3,864 5,065 4,661 
			 West Yorkshire — 2,368 4,272 4,997 
			 Wiltshire — 700 1,226 2,185 
			 England 1,888 70,494 122,748 156,708 
			  
			  Wales 
			 Dyfed-Powys — 363 628 950 
			 Gwent — 517 938 1,404 
			 North Wales — 999 424 3,083 
			 South Wales — 1,603 2,030 2,765 
			  
			 Wales — 3,482 4,020 8,202 
			  
			 England and Wales 1,888 73,976 126,768 164,910 
			 (1) Introduced 1 December 2003. (2) Revised figure provided for 2006. (3) Force unable to supply data for 2006 due to technical reasons.  Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Firearms: Crime

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many incidents of violence against the person involving a handgun were recorded  (a) in total and  (b) per 1,000 of the population for (i) England, (ii) the Avon and Somerset Constabulary area and (iii) Bath and North East Somerset in each year from 1997 to 2008;
	(2)  how many incidents of violence against the person where a fatality has occurred as a result of a handgun wound were recorded  (a) in total and  (b) per 1,000 of the population for (i) England, (ii) the Avon and Somerset Constabulary area and (iii) Bath and North East Somerset in each year from 1997 to 2008.

Alan Campbell: Available data relates to offences involving a handgun where the firearm was fired, used as a blunt instrument or used as a threat.
	Figures for England and Avon and Somerset police force area from 1997-98 up to and including 2006-07 are provided.
	
		
			  Table (A): Crimes in which a handgun was used( 1 ) and offences per 100,000 population: England and Avon and Somerset, 1997-98 to 2000-07 
			   England  Avon and Somerset 
			   Number of offences  Offences per 100,000 population  Number of offences  Offences per 100,000 population 
			 1997-98 2,620 5 40 3 
			 1998-99(2) 2,668 5 41 3 
			 1999-2000 3,672 7 54 4 
			 2000-01 4,095 8 77 5 
			 2001-02(3) 5,858 12 87 6 
			 2002-03 5,531 11 86 6 
			 2003-04 5,123 10 85 6 
			 2004-05 4,325 9 42 3 
			 2005-06 4,647 9 23 2 
			 2006-07 4,151 8 36 2 
			 (1 )By being fired, used as a blunt instrument or used as a threat. (2 )There was a change in the counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998. (3 )The National Crime Recording Standard was introduced on 1 April 2002. Figures for some crime categories may have been inflated by this. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table (B):Crimes in which a handgun was used( 1)  causing fatal injury and offences per 100,000 population: England and Avon and Somerset, 1997-98 to 2006-07 
			   England  Avon and Somerset 
			   Number of offences  Offences per 100,000 population  Number of offences  Offences per 100,000 population 
			 1997-98 33 0.07 — — 
			 1998-99(2) 29 0.06 1 0.07 
			 1999-2000 42 0.08 — — 
			 2000-01 48 0.10 2 0.13 
			 2001-02(3) 59 0.12 — — 
			 2002-03 39 0.08 3 0.20 
			 2003-04 35 0.07 2 0.13 
			 2004-05 36 0.07 — — 
			 2005-06 22 0.04 — — 
			 2006-07 27 0.05 — — 
			 (1 )By being fired, used as a blunt instrument or used as a threat (2 )There was a change in the counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998. (3 )The National Crime Recording Standard was introduced on 1 April 2002. Figures for some crime categories may have been inflated by this.

PCT Funding Formula: North Yorkshire

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to revise the funding formula for allocations to primary care trusts in North Yorkshire for 2009-10.

Ben Bradshaw: The Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA) has recently reviewed the PCT funding formula. The new formula will inform revenue allocations post 2008-09. The allocations will be published alongside the operating framework later this year. ACRA'S report of its review will also be published at this time.

Alcoholic Drinks

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received on his Department's proposals for a mandatory code of practice for the alcohol industry; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: More than 3,300 representations have been received and are still being logged and analysed. These will be considered carefully.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by the NHS on drugs to combat alcohol dependency in each of the last 10 years.

Dawn Primarolo: There are a number of drugs that can be used to treat, or that are used in the treatment of alcohol dependency. However, the vast majority of these drugs are used to treat a range of other conditions and data on their use cannot be broken down to show use by disease group, therefore providing this data would be misleading.
	However, disulfiram (Antabuse) and acamprosate (Campral) are used only in the treatment of alcohol dependency and the following table gives the cost of prescriptions of these drugs over the last 10 years.
	
		
			   £ 
			   NIC( 1)  of disulfiram and acamprosate 
			 1998 1,078,184 
			 1999 1,309,572 
			 2000 1,900,413 
			 2001 1,808,409 
			 2002 1,620,725 
			 2003 1,722,589 
			 2004 1,828,429 
			 2005 1,961,854 
			 2006 2,143,146 
			 2007 2,248,294 
			 (1) Net Ingredient Cost is the basic cost of a drug. It does not take account of discounts, dispensing costs, fees or prescription charges income.

General Practitioners: Pharmacy

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of GP practices in each primary care trust area are allowed to dispense medicines.

Phil Hope: The information is in the following table.

Mental Health Services: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many residents in Hemel Hempstead have received NHS assistance for mental illness in each year since 1998; how many of those received  (a) general practitioner counselling,  (b) specialist counselling,  (c) residence in specialist hostels and  (d) hospital accommodation in each year; and what estimate he has made of the volume of such assistance which will be required in 2008-09.

Phil Hope: Information is not available in the format requested. The following table shows the number of finished mental health consultant episodes for patients at the Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Trust from 2001-02 to 2006-07 which is the latest data available.
	
		
			   Finished consultant episodes 
			 2001-02 2,505 
			 2002-03 2,558 
			 2003-04 2,677 
			 2004-05 1,852 
			 2005-06 1,471 
			 2006-07 1,678 
			  Notes:  Finished Consultant Episode (FCE): A finished consultant episode (FCE) is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which the FCE finishes. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.  Consultant Main Specialty: This defines the specialty under which the consultant responsible for care of the patient is contracted. Care is needed when analysing HES data by specialty, or by groups of specialties (such as acute). Trusts have different ways of managing specialties and attributing codes so it is better to analyse by specific diagnoses, operations or other recorded information.  Consultant main specialties included: 710 = Mental illness 711 = Child and adolescent psychiatry 712 = Forensic psychiatry 713 = Psychotherapy 715 = Old age psychiatry (available from 1990-91)  Data Quality: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England. Data is also received from a number of independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.  Assessing growth through time: HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. During the years that these records have been collected by the NHS there have been ongoing improvements in quality and coverage. These improvements in information submitted by the NHS have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. Some of the increase in figures for later years (particularly 2006-07 onwards) may be due to the improvement in the coverage of independent sector activity.  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care

Nurses: Manpower

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many practice nurses there were in  (a) West Chelmsford constituency and  (b) the Chelmsford local authority area in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2007.

Ann Keen: Data is not collected in the format requested. Data is available for the primary care trusts (PCTs) that serve the constituency and local authority areas for 2002 and 2007 and is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Practice Nurses for selected area in 2002 and 2007 
			   N umbers (headcount) 
			   2002  2007 
			 Total for specified organisations 168 175 
			 Maldon and south Chelmsford PCT 46 n/a 
			 Chelmsford PCT 67 n/a 
			 Witham, Braintree and Halstead PCT 55 n/a 
			 Mid Essex PCT n-a 175 
			 n/a = Not applicable.  Notes: 1. Data for practice nurses is not available at parliamentary constituency or local authority area. West Chelmsford parliamentary constituency and the Chelmsford local authority area are contained within and served by the primary care trusts provided here. 2. Mid Essex PCT was created on 1 October 2006 from a complete merger of Chelmsford PCT, Maldon and South Chelmsford PCT and Witham, Braintree and Halstead PCT 3. Prior to 2002 PCTs did not exist. It is not possible to map organisations back beyond this to provide a time series. 4. Data as at 30 September 2002 and 2007  Data Quality Workforce statistics are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and PCTs in England. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data. Processing methods and procedures are continually being updated to improve data quality. Where this happens any impact on figures already published will be assessed but unless this is significant at national level they will not be changed. Where there is impact only at det ailed or local level this will be footnoted in relevant analyses.  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care General and Personal Medical Services Statistics

Common Agricultural Policy

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the estimated  (a) average agricultural tariff and  (b) average intervention price was under the Common Agricultural Policy in each of the last five years, broken down by commodity; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: Since the EU's tariff schedule includes both ad valorem (percentage of price) components and specific (€ per tonne) components, tariffs are compared using estimates of the 'ad valorem equivalent' (AVE). Calculation of the AVE requires an estimate of the import price. Typically unit import values (the value of imports divided by the volume) are used as the estimate of the price in the conversion process.
	There is a further complication in deriving average tariff estimates. Each commodity has several (and sometimes many) tariff lines, often with very different tariff rates. These lines can be averaged in different ways, for example a simple average could be used, or lines weighted according to import volumes. Many imports also take place within the context of tariff rate quotas where the applied rate of duty is lower than the bound rate. Further, each commodity has several (and sometimes many) tariff lines, often with very different tariff rates. These lines can be averaged in different ways, for example a simple average could be used, or lines weighted according to import volumes.
	Each method has particular disadvantages. For example, weighting by import volume assigns low weight to tariff lines where the tariff is high enough to eliminate imports. This tends to reduce the estimated tariff rate. Historically DEFRA's approach has been to present the tariff for a 'representative' tariff line which accounts for the bulk of imports, or, when there is no clearly dominant individual line, to present a simple average of several important tariff lines.
	The EU's bound Most Favoured Nation (MFN) agricultural tariffs have remained unchanged over the period 2003 to 2007, and table 1 presents AVE's for the major commodities as calculated by DEFRA. These estimates give a broad indication of the level of protection, but the tariff applied to a particular consignment on a tariff line may differ, as explained above.
	
		
			  Table 1: Estimated EU bound tariff equivalents for major commodities 
			   Percentage 
			 Durum wheat 78 
			 Low and medium quality wheat 69 
			 Rye 65 
			 Barley 79 
			 Oats 62 
			 Maize 71 
			 Sorghum 71 
			 Triticale 21 
			 Raw sugar 66 
			 Beef* 100 
			 Pigmeat 30 
			 Lamb 60 
			 Poultry meat 53 
			 Skimmed milk powder 91 
			 Butter 101 
			 Cheese 68 
			 Eggs 38 
			 Cocoa paste 10 
			 Tomatoes 58 
			 Apples* 38 
			 Representative tariff line except * (average from selected bundle of important tariff lines).   Source:  'A Vision for the Common Agricultural Policy' (2005), DEFRA and HMT. 
		
	
	For comparison we also present EU tariffs estimated using an alternative methodology, where average tariffs have been calculated using weights based on imports in a reference group of countries. This approach is better than using only EU imports as weights (which introduces significant downward bias as mentioned above), but may still understate the true level of protection. These estimates are presented in Table 2, and are available only at an aggregate level.
	
		
			  Table 2: Estimates for average EU bound tariff equivalents 
			   Percentage 
			 Meat and offal 73.3 
			 Dairy products 70.9 
			 Vegetables 23 
			 Edible fruit and nuts 18 
			 Sugar 104.5 
			 Cocoa and preparations 4.6 
			 Coffee and tea 1.2 
			 Cereals 88.2 
			  Source:  'Implications for the European Union of the May 2008 Draft Agricultural Modalities' (2008), International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD). 
		
	
	Intervention prices for the main commodities are presented in table 3.
	
		
			  Table 3: Intervention prices by commodity for marketing years 2003-04 to 2007-08 
			  €/tonne 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Durum wheat 101.3 101.3 101.3 101.3 101.3 
			 Common wheat 101.3 101.3 101.3 101.3 101.3 
			 Barley 101.3 101.3 101.3 101.3 101.3 
			 Rye 101.3 — — — — 
			 Maize/sorghum 101.3 101.3 101.3 101.3 101.3 
			 White sugar 631.9 631.9 631.9 631.9 631.9 
			 Butter 3,282.0 3,052.3 2,824.4 2,595.2 2,463.9 
			 Skimmed-milk powder 2,055.2 1,952.4 1,849.7 1,746.9 1,746.9 
			  Note:  Marketing year is July to June for durum wheat, common wheat, barley, rye, maize/sorghum and white sugar; and April to March for butter and skimmed-milk powder.   Source:  Annual publications of 'Agriculture in the European Union: Statistical and economic information', EC.

Fisheries: Quotas

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 28 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1863W, on fisheries: quotas, whether an assessment has been made on the catch composition of the catch from vessels involved in the Irish sea discard pilot; what the difference between the catch composition and the quota allocation was; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The discard data generated by the Irish sea data enhancement pilot is consistent with accepted methods of discard data collection, such as through the Data Collection Regulation. Therefore, the additional data generated by the pilot using fishermen's self sampling, increases the sample size of the fleet from which to assess the level and types of discarding. This data will now be assessed to identify patterns of discarding in the Irish sea by area and season.

Polytunnels

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of agricultural land in England is covered by polytunnels.

Jane Kennedy: Data is not collected on areas of crops specifically grown in poly tunnels. These areas are recorded as open field crops as the crops are only covered for part of the year.

Rats: Greater London

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the rat population in each London borough.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA does not hold data on the size of the UK rat population or on the rat population in each London borough.
	Data on rodent infestation in domestic dwellings is obtained from the English House Condition Survey (EHCS). The detailed findings for 2001 are summarised in the report, "Rodent infestations in domestic properties in England, 2001". The EHCS data only provides an estimate of the proportion of dwellings with rat infestations inside or outside. It does not provide definitive data on the number of rats.
	In May, DEFRA published an interim report on rodent presence in domestic properties from the EHCS data for 2002-03 and 2003-04. The key findings were that the occurrences of rats in these years are not significantly different from those observed in 2001.
	A further detailed report is anticipated for publication in spring 2009.